The act of journaling is defined as “the practice of writing down your thoughts, feelings, daily experiences, and goals on paper or a digital device.”
Keeping a journal means expressing in writing – or even in video form- our daily or weekly activities, those events – mundane or magnificent – that shape our lives and our experiences. History is replete with firsthand accounts of great battles, victories, losses, and wins. Imagine what the next generation will learn from reading our journals where we have written about a pandemic, social media, the space shuttle, attending the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, or even the death of Dolly Parton.
Journaling also allows those who participate to review their lives as an “outsider” with a different perspective and different eyes months and years later, to review a personal retrospect and prioritize those changes, worries, troubles, stresses, and challenges that shape who we become.
To that end, for the last seven years, the five-county chapter of Alpha Cappa Gamma of Delta Cappa Gamma has been supplying every new student of the WVU Potomac State College nursing department a luxury journal to record his or her thoughts, feelings, and impressions as a student as those early years of study are navigated.
Ruby Alvaro is a 50-year member of the local chapter of this national organization. Now 89, the mother of PSC psychology professor, Molly Alvaro, said she enjoys finding just the “right” blank book journals to present to the class every year.
“I live closest to the College, so it’s become my responsibility every year,” Alvaro said. “I really do enjoy it. I usually pick them out, and when the blank journals arrive, I arrange for Molly to take them to the campus and present them as a gift from the chapter. I know they are not only appreciated, but used by the nursing students. I hope it’s a tradition that continues for a very long time.”
PSC Behavioral Health Therapist Michelle House says the tradition of journaling is one that can be cathartic.
“Writing helps empty a crowded mind, making complex problems or heavy emotions easier to organize and manage,” she said. “Regular reflection helps you spot behavioral patterns, track your goals, and build deeper self-awareness. Journaling helps our brains switch modes – from stress, anxiety, and depression mode to action-oriented problem-solving mode. When we journal, we move away from our stress response in the amygdala part of our brain to the prefrontal cortex, which is the thinking part of our brain.”
House said she suggests writing in a journal over typing on a computer. She said the act of writing with pen to paper is one that taps into a different portion of the brain.
“Writing helps us stop intrusive thoughts and ruminations by getting them out of our heads where they’re in a constant loop. The act of writing engages more neural pathways and allows us to slow our pace and let our feelings catch up to our thoughts. This helps us solve issues more freely,” she said.
House said there are different types of journaling.
Free journaling
“This is a stream-of-consciousness exercise where you start writing and set a timer for, say, 5 minutes. Just write whatever comes up. Think of it as a mind dump. Sometimes a prompt can be helpful, but just freely writing allows our creative brains to get out whatever is bogging us down without judgment or restriction. During this type of journaling, your pen should never leave the page. If you get stuck, write things like ‘I don’t know what to write’ or ‘I’m still thinking’or some similar message until something comes to you. Do not correct words or mistakes. Just keep writing.
Guided journaling
“This type of journaling is more structured and encourages using prompts to help you identify and explore your feelings, as well as set goals and visit/revisit them. One site I like to promote to students for this type of journaling is called 64 Journaling prompts for self-discovery.”
Dialogue with a symptom
“This type of writing is a rapid-fire back-and-forth dialogue with an issue or challenge you’re having. I use this quite frequently with students in my therapy sessions.
Here’s how it works:
· Center yourself: Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take several slow, deep breaths in and out through your nose.
· Identify the focus: Allow physical symptoms (like a headache or tight chest), an emotional struggle, or a life decision to come to your mind naturally.
· Set up the dialogue: Imagine the symptom sitting on a chair across from you. Use initials or abbreviations (like U for you and H for your headache) to speed up writing.
· Write without editing: Ask a question (“Why are you here?” What do you need from me?”), then switch perspectives and let the symptom answer immediately. Use the rule first thought, best thought.
· Keep moving: Write continuously as fast as you can without analyzing or judging the responses until your timer goes off.
During the semester, House hosts several “DIY Journaling Activities” where participants design their own journals and discuss the above-mentioned benefits of keeping a journal.
Alvaro said the women who make up the Alpha Cappa Gamma of Delta Cappa Gamma organization represent a five-county area that covers Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton Counties. She said when the chapter decided to give journals to nursing students at colleges in those counties, she knew it would be well received.
“We have been doing this for a number of years now, and they do seem to enjoy them and use them,” she said. “I just found out recently that one of our nurses works at UPMC in Cumberland and she still keeps her journal at work at the nurses’ station and she continues to use it.”
In addition to providing the journals, a handwritten note to each recipient is included in the books, personal messages of inspiration from the women of ACG of DCG.
“We like to include an inspirational message as the students begin their journeys,” Alvaro said. “We get so many great responses from the students. These young people are so impressive. I am impressed with how the teachers and students at Potomac State College get along and how the teachers greet the students and how the students treat the teachers.”